


Cowboy Camp

by sunsetsundae



Category: Toy Story (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Cowboy Camp, Everyone Is Gay, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Woody is Jessie's Older Brother, bo peep and jessie get together in the bg, they're all camp counselors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27165431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsetsundae/pseuds/sunsetsundae
Summary: Woody is simultaneously nervous and excited to be a counselor as well as the leader of activities at Cowboy Camp, held closely to his home ranch and a place he had practically grew up in. With his younger sister Jessie and their mutual friend Bo helping him out, the three of them were sure to make Cowboy Camp the most fun-filled weeks of the summer for all of the children attending.That is, until the kids seem more interested in the new counselor, Buzz, and the fact that he's apparently studying aerospace engineering and knows all sorts of cool things about NASA, and space.This is Cowboy Camp, for goodness sakes.
Relationships: Bo Peep/Jessie (Toy Story), Buzz Lightyear/Woody Pride
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	1. Blue Mustang GT

**Author's Note:**

> never thought I'd find myself writing toy story fanfiction at 20 years old but it seems this is where my compulsive hyperfixations have taken me! enjoy, i suppose.

The afternoon sun was casting a wonderful golden glow across the wooden walls of the cabins, a gentle breeze kicking up a little bit of the dust that made up the paths between them. It was quiet, which was the opposite of how it was going to be the next day when all of the children arrived. Woody let out a breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow, he checked his list one more time. It looked like everything was in order. The camp was ready. With a quick nod of his head, Woody set out to head back home for the night. 

He climbed into his old Chevy K10 and listened to its engine splutter to life before he put it in drive and headed back to the ranch. Pete had long since left, so he had to lock the gate to the camp behind him. The old man owned the land and the camp, but was climbing up in years and had essentially left everything to Woody this year. It was just as exciting as it was nerve racking. Sure, Woody had been a counselor for the last few years, but this year he was also in charge of activities. He thought he had come up with a pretty good itinerary, but only time would tell.

The drive back to the ranch was a long one, but the setting sun bathed the sparse California countryside in a soft red light. The Chevy’s radio cracked as it played old country hits, and soon Woody found himself pulling onto Roundup Ranch. He could see the figure of his sister Jessie milling about the barn, tending to the horses and feeding them for the afternoon. He pulled the truck up next to the house and walked inside, starting to pull things out of the pantry and the fridge to make dinner when the door opened and closed, signaling Jessie’s arrival inside.

“Howdy, Woody,” she said as she sat down at the table to take off her boots. “Whatcha cookin’?” 

“Not sure yet,” He replied. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Potatoes,” She responded immediately. 

“You always want potatoes,” Woody deadpanned, grabbing the bag of them from the pantry anyways.

“What’s so bad about that?” Jessie countered playfully.

Woody didn’t respond but instead grabbed a few potatoes from the bad and pulled some steak from the freezer as well. Steak and potatoes seemed like a good dinner option. The two fell into a comfortable silence as Woody started cooking, Jessie cracking open a novel that she was about halfway through and reading to herself quietly at the table. The setting sun was slanting through the windows, giving the kitchen an orange-red tint. It would be dusk before long. This lighting combined with the sweet smell of steak cooking on the stove made for a wonderful homey feeling.

Eventually it got too dark for Jessie to read without the aid of man-made lights, and turned on the overhead kitchen light, signaling the end of the setting sun's status as the sole light provider of the house for the day. Not long after, Woody set down two steaming hot plates of "steak and taters" at the table and sat down to eat. Jessie snapped her book shut and went straight for the softened potatoes on her plate.

"So," she said once she had swallowed her first bite. "The Camp all ready for tomorrow?"

"Yup," Woody replied. "All that's left is to get there bright 'n early to check in the kids when they get there."

"Sweet," Jessie chirped, visibly excited now. She had finished her potatoes and was starting to eat her steak. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they ate, occasionally sharing chatter about the farm duties and their friends from in town, and of course about the other counselors at camp.

“I heard there’s a couple new counselors this year,” Jessie said as she scraped the last morsels on her plate with her fork. “One that ain’t even attended the camp as a kid.”

“Where’d you hear that from?”

“Oh, Pete mentioned it, I think?” Jessie said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I didn’t think much of it.”

“I wonder why somebody would want to be a counselor at a camp they’d never attended before,” Woody wondered, mostly to himself. Jessie just shrugged and stood up to wash her plate, offering her hand out to take Woody’s and washing it as well in the sink.

“I hope they’re nice, whoever they are,” Jessie added over the sound of the running water. “I’m sure we’ll be able to get along with them. And even if we don’t, you, me, and Bo will be just fine.”

Woody nodded, then when he realized she was turned away from him he grunted in affirmation. He didn’t think too much of this rumored new counselor, though he was curious as to who they were. He hoped that they would be helpful and assist him as head of activities.

“What time are we leaving in the morning?” Jessie asked, making her way back over to the table and leaning on one of the chairs. Woody stood up and stretched, a fatigue starting to settle over him now that the sun was set and his stomach was full.

“I’d say ‘bout 6:00 or 6:30 should be good. Right before sunrise.”

Jessie nodded. “Alright, I’ll get up around four to take care of the animals before we go. And I’ll call Hamm and let him know we’re leaving so he remembers to come by and take care of them for the next couple weeks.”

“Thank you,” Woody said, opening the fridge and pulling out the pitcher of sweet tea to pour himself a glass. Jessie took that as her cue to head upstairs, chirping out a short “g’night!” before she disappeared down the hallway. When she had gone, he pulled the whiskey out of the cabinet and put a little bit in his tea. It would be the last time for a little bit he’d be able to drink, so he might as well enjoy himself a little bit. He sipped on his glass of tea as he walked out the front door and sat down on the edge of the porch, admiring the night sky that twinkled to life with thousands of stars, uninhibited by light pollution in the countryside. They were particularly gorgeous tonight, blinking and winking as Woody drank his drink and stared up at them in awe. Sometimes he tried to find constellations, and even fewer times he succeeded. The night sky was largely just a mystery to him, but he knew it was pretty, and so he stared at it until long after his glass was empty. Finally his eyelids began to get the best of him and he headed inside, rinsing his glass before retiring to his bedroom for the night, being sure to set his alarm for the morning before peeling off his dusty clothes and climbing into his warm bed.

It was the day of the Camp’s opening, and Woody was up before the sun, unable to sleep due to the excitement of the weeks to come. He got dressed quickly, grabbing his packed suitcase and leaving his room, checking on Jessie only to find she was already gone as well. It was almost five in the morning, and he figured she must be outside tending to the animals before they left. There was already a pan of eggs and potatoes sitting on the stove, about half already missing. Woody grabbed a fork and ate the rest of them straight out of the already cooled down pan before washing it in the sink and hauling his suitcase outside into the backseat of his pickup truck. 

Once that was done he squinted his eyes and peered around the farm in the dim light, looking for his sister. He spotted her out by the chicken coop, and started in her direction.

“You ‘bout ready?” Woody asked Jessie once he got within her earshot. She turned to look at him, her energy levels way too high for this time of the morning, and nodded enthusiastically. 

“‘Course I am!” She said excitedly.

Jessie retreated back into the house to grab her suitcase as Woody finished feeding the chickens, and the two of them met up at his truck. It rumbled to life and then they were off, leaving their farm in the dust for the next couple weeks. The sun began rising on the drive, and when Woody looked over at his sister he realized she was dozing off, and he chuckled to himself before turning on the radio to tune out some of the silence. Marty Robbins’ voice filtered softly through his speakers. The drive felt much longer when Woody had this much anticipation in his veins, but eventually they made it, and the rockiness of the camp’s driveway rocked his truck slightly, shaking Jessie and waking her from her nap.

“Did you enjoy your snooze?” He asked her teasingly as she yawned and repositioned her red hat on top of her head. 

She rolled her eyes as she smirked at him, crossing her arms with a chipper “as a matter of fact, I did, thank you for asking.”

Woody continued down the bumpy drive until he arrived at the makeshift grass field that would serve as the parking lot for the counselors for the next nine weeks.

The siblings walked side by side through the almost entirely empty grass lot, save for another pickup truck parked toward the end closer to the camp that Woody knew belonged to Pete, who must have gotten there earlier than them. Woody figured they would find him in the office, which was just the fancy term for the long-stationary RV that was used as Pete’s main hub. He knocked on the door and there was a shuffling sound inside before the door swung open to reveal Pete, wearing a red shirt and overalls, his rather large belly barely able to fit in the RV doorway. He smiled when he saw the two of them. 

“Hey kiddos,” he greeted. “Y’all bout ready to get this show on the road?”

“You know it!” Jessie whooped.

“Alright. Y’all go set your stuff in the counselor’s cabin and I’ll meet you towards the entrance where we’ll set up the table and such. The other counselors should be arriving soon as well.”

“Sounds good,” Woody responded, and they parted ways. Woody and Jessie chatted as they headed towards the area where all of the cabins were, walking all the way to the back of the rows that faced each other to the cabin that stood at the head of the circle, the cabin that the counselors stayed in. They quickly unpacked their stuff into two of the small bedrooms that the cabin contained and headed back out towards the entrance, where Pete had pitched a tent and set up a table and chairs with a few laptops sitting on top to use to check the children into camp. Woody wondered absently where he got the money for three new laptops, but the thought passed when he noticed a new car pulling into the camp and heading towards the counselors’ parking lot. 

“Someone’s already here!” He pointed out, excited.

“How many counselors do we have this year, anyhow?” Jessie asked Pete, who was making himself comfortable in one of the chairs and booting up a laptop. 

“Oh, I want to say no more than five? The sign up list was pretty short this year so we didn’t need as many as usual. Kids just ain’t into cowboys as much these days, they’d rather play vidya games all summer.” Pete grumbled to himself, typing away at his keyboard. Jessie giggled.

The other counselor came over to the group and introduced himself. He was around Jessie and Woody’s age, though Woody had never met him before. He seemed nice enough and chatted with the group for a few minutes before heading to the counselor’s cabin. It wasn’t long before a few more cars pulled in, and the other two counselors were returning ones that Woody and Jessie were already friends with. Other staff arrived, like the cooks and maintenance crew, as well as the nurse. All that was left was the camp-goers themselves. Woody checked his cellphone, seeing it was almost noon. The camp would be open for the season in less than thirty minutes.

When noon finally hit, Woody found himself bouncing his leg in anticipation, the open laptop with the camp’s website open in front of him and his eyes on the road.

It started off quiet at first, but soon there was a sound that started to get louder and louder. It sounded like a sports car, and Woody wondered if someone was out joyriding the backroads, or maybe one of the kids had rich parents and were driving them to camp in their fancy car. The engine roar grew louder, and soon a blue blur whipped the turn into the camp, kicking up a huge cloud of dust with it. The speakers were playing music at a volume just under too loud, and when the dust cleared Woody could see a deep blue Mustang zoom by towards the staff parking lot. Jeez, he thought to himself, that guy must be annoying. Hopefully he was on the maintenance crew.

“Wonder who that is,” Jessie whispered in his ear, leaning around him to try and get a view of the car before it disappeared behind the trees.

“Oh, that’s the other new counselor this year. He’s a little… well, I think y’all will like him.” Pete responded, playing solitaire on his laptop.

Woody said nothing, just stared at the waning dust cloud where the car had been. It was eerily silent after the sound of the car engine cut off. Soon he could make out someone walking from the treeline, and when he got closer Woody confirmed his suspicion that the driver of the Mustang was indeed annoying. He was short, but built like an ox, with broad shoulders and rippling muscles underneath his black T-shirt. His blonde hair was styled in an undercut and he had a little scruff on his chin. He held nothing but a black backpack over his shoulders and a purple hoodie slung over his arm. Woody made a disapproving clicking sound under his breath and turned back to looking at the interest, already set on ignoring this newcomer with the fancy car.

Said newcomer headed right towards them, stopping next to Pete and smiling at him. “Hello, Pete, am I late?” He asked, and his voice was so opposite of annoying Woody almost faltered in his determination to not look at him.

“‘Course not, kiddo,” Pete said, standing up and clasping his hand. “It’s good to see you again.” He turned towards Woody and Jessie. “Woody, Jessie, meet Buzz. Buzz, these are the Pride siblings.”

“Pleasure,” Buzz said, immediately sauntering up to Jessie and shaking her hand. Woody could tell she was holding back a giggle. Buzz nodded at Woody, who was staring at him with a blank expression. 

“Buzz is the other new counselor I mentioned,” Pete said. “I’m good friends with his parents and this is a favor to them. Said they needed him out of the house for the summer.”

Out of the house? Woody almost laughed. This guy was around their age, obviously too old to still be living with his parents.

Buzz laughed. “Ah, they make it sound like it’s worse than it is. They’re letting me stay at home while I finish my master’s degree. I still have yet to have a year not filled with schoolwork.”

“Masters degree?” Jessie asked, tilting her head to the side. 

Buzz chuckled. Woody furrowed his eyebrows. “Yes,” Buzz said. “I’m almost finished with my master’s in aerospace engineering. Once I’m finished I hope that my internship at NASA will turn into a real job.”

Jessie’s mouth fell open. “Well, I’ll be!” She shouted. “You must be a genius.”

Buzz shook his head. “No, no, I’m not that smart.” Woody could tell that he did think he was that smart.  
“Well,” Pete continued. “Woody here is the head of activities here, so he’s the one you’ll mostly be talking to. Of course I’ll be around too if something really needs fixin’.”

“Sounds good to me,” Buzz said, nodding at Woody, who still hadn’t said anything. “You the strong silent type?”

Woody just rolled his eyes and turned away, resting his head on one hand as he continued to stare at the windy driveway that connected the camp to the road. The campers should arrive any minute now.

Buzz clicked his tongue. “Alrighty then. I’ll go get settled in. Catch you guys later!”

“Bye, Buzz! It was nice to meet you!” Jessie called after him with a wave. When he was out of earshot she turned to her brother. “What’s your deal?”

“My deal?” Woody asked, picking at his fingernails and not looking at her.

“You just kinda stared at him and looked like you wanted to punch him the whole time.”

Woody shrugged. “He seems like an asshole.”

Jessie punched his arm. “I don’t know what you’re on about, he seems like a nice guy. Don’t be like that. This is Cowboy Camp, Woody, let’s enjoy ourselves.”

“You’re right,” Woody sighed. Their conversation was cut short as a car pulled in, parking in the grassy area near their tent, and Woody smiled at the occupants as they exited the vehicle. The first campers had arrived.


	2. Bonfire The First

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buzz has the campers and counselors alike completely enamored. Woody just wants s'mores.

The camp was beginning to come to life, the campers that had put away their belongings filling the sandy area in the middle of the cabins and talking, meeting, playing. Jessie had left the tent, linking up with Bo when she arrived and the two of them helping campers get settled in. Woody saw some of the other counselors poking around as well, but he stayed put in his position to check in the campers that were arriving and telling them which cabins they would be staying in. Around three PM they stopped coming, only one car pulling in about every ten minutes. Woody was picking dirt out from under his fingernails when motion right next to him gave him a small start.

Buzz pulled the chair that Jessie had previously been sitting at out and sat down in it, dusting off his shirt, which had already gotten dusty from his short time outside. The look on his face told Woody that he wasn’t used to getting dirty. Boy was he in for a shock these next few weeks.

“So,” Buzz said, smiling up at Woody after he finished his preening. “I feel like we didn’t quite get acquainted the first time we met and I’d like to restart. Woody, right?”

Woody nodded.

“Is that short for something or is it just a nickname of some sort?”

He sighed, wishing Buzz would just leave him alone. He answered anyway. “It’s short for Woodrow.”

Buzz smirked a little. “So you do talk. Your voice doesn’t sound like what I thought it would. Deeper. Nice. Also, Woodrow is a cool name.”

Woody wasn’t sure what to make of this guy. “Well, what kind of a name is Buzz?” He asked.

“Short for Buswell,” Buzz answered. “Kind of weird, I know.” He smiled, and it was the brightest thing Woody had ever seen.

There was a silence between them. Woody wished he would go away, but he seemed to have gotten fairly comfortable in the chair he was now sitting in. “So, what do you do for a living?” Buzz asked after a moment.

“I work on a ranch,” Woody responded. “Sell cattle.”

“Wow, like an old-timey farmer or something,” Buzz replied, no malice in his voice but still bothering Woody anyways for some reason. He said nothing. “I’m in school right now, but I’ve also been interning at NASA in the summers. It’s a pretty fun gig, but I’m majorly broke right now. Another reason my parents wanted me to take on this camp counselor job. So why do you work here? Does it just fit your cowboy aesthetic?”

Woody blinked at him a few times. “My what?”

Buzz smiled again. “You know, your cowboy thing you’ve got going on. The hat, the boots. Or is that just an outfit you’re wearing because of the camp theme?”

He didn’t say anything. He honestly could not tell if Buzz was making fun of him or not, and it was irritating him. So what if he wore a hat and boots? He worked outside and didn’t want to sunburn his face and neck. And the boots were the most heavy duty thing he owned, because having a couple thousand pound cow or horse step on your foot without adequate protection is not a fun time. However he just kept his mouth shut and looked away with a quick shake of his head.

“Did I say something to upset you?” Buzz asked. Woody stayed silent. “I think it’s cool. I like the look you’ve got going on.” 

Woody muttered out a short “thanks.”

Buzz pursed his lips. “Hey man, I’m just trying to be nice and get to know you. We’re going to be working together for the next couple weeks and I want it to be a pleasant time for all of us.”

“I’m the director of activities,” Woody countered. “So we aren’t working together, you’re working for me.”

“Alright man,” Buzz replied, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Still, I just want to have a good time.”

“Then go do your job,” Woody said through gritted teeth.

There was a short silence and Buzz frowned. It was the first time Woody had seen such a sour expression on his face. “Alright. Sorry.” He got up from the chair and pushed it back in under the table before turning and walking off.

~

The sun had set behind the trees and the camp was falling into a soft dusk when Woody had finally finished packing up the tent and all of the tech. The campers and counselors had started migrating to the far end of the camp, and Woody knew the bonfire was about to start. It was the way they always started and ended camp each year; a huge bonfire and s’mores. Sometimes they would tell scary stories or play a game of Mafia as well. It was probably one of Woody’s favorite things, as both a counselor and back when he was a camper. He stored the tent and the now folded up tables next to Pete’s RV and headed towards the bonfire spot, hearing the volume of the voices grow as he walked closer. He could hear the crackling of the fire and realized they had already gotten it going. Damn. It was always exciting to see the flames start to slowly lick over the piled up foliage. Oh well, at least Woody would still be able to tell his stories he had planned and make some s’mores. Nobody could be mad while eating s’mores.

When he got closer he could hear the campers laughing. It made him smile, until he got closer and heard Buzz’s voice among all the commotion. He was telling the stories of NASA, and random things about space that he learned in school, his back to the fire, casting a dramatic light on his face. The children were sitting around him, completely enamored with everything he was saying. Even the counselors standing behind the crowd of kids were hanging on every word he said. Woody felt his chest constrict and grinded his teeth as he approached. Nobody acknowledged him as he walked up to the table that had all of the s’mores stuff on it. None of it had been touched. He lifted his gaze to glower at Buzz, who was so into his storytelling he hadn’t even noticed Woody walk up. 

“Mr. Buzz,” one of the campers asked. Woody recognized him to be Andy Davis, who had come every year since he was old enough to. “Are you going to go to space one day?”

Buzz smiled at him and chuckled. “Well, maybe one day. I really just want to work on the ships that they take to space. But I’ll go wherever life takes me, you know?”

Woody clenched and unclenched his fists. Why were they so obsessed with this guy? He’s just a student and an intern. It’s not like he was an actual astronaut or anything. And he was seriously starting to get on Woody’s nerves just by being here. He opened the bag of marshmallows and put one on the stick, walking to the opposite side of the large fire to toast it and get away from Buzz and his starry-eyed storytelling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this chapter is so short aoghaoifhof i need to start writing more of this so i figured i would just wrap it up and post it to keep myself motivated


	3. Popsicle Stick Astronauts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buzz and Jessie exchange socials. The kids make arts and crafts.

As usual, the campers were too excited to sleep their first night. Woody, having seniority, got the cabin with the oldest group of boys at the camp, and therefore the most calm and most behaved. As an added bonus, he remembered some of them from previous years, so it was easy to fall into conversation about how their lives had been as the boys took turns brushing their teeth in the sinks and getting changed in the one bathroom.

The aforementioned Andy Davis was in this cabin. He was 12 years old now, which was crazy to Woody, who had pretty much watched him grow up. Soon he’d be old enough to be a counselor in training, which he had expressed interest in being for years. Woody watched as he led the conversation of the group of boys, his excitement palpable as he told story after story from his time over the last school year. Woody zoned out after a little bit, picking at a loose thread on his shirt when Andy addressing him caught his attention. 

“Mr. Woody, are you and Mr. Buzz friends?”

Woody looked up and blinked, the name Buzz causing a slight sour taste in his mouth. “Huh? Why do you ask?” He replied slowly.

“He’s so cool,” Andy said. 

“And he’s a spaceman!” Another kid chimed in. 

“Well, not technically,” Woody corrected. “He might be one day but for now he’s just worked at NASA for a little bit. It’s just a job.” 

“But he knows so much about space,” Another kid countered, crossing his arms. “You don’t know anything about space.”

Woody frowned. “So? I know that the stars are downright gorgeous at night out here in the countryside, and frankly that’s all that matters to me.”

Some of the kids rolled their eyes, but Andy smiled a little bit. Woody smiled back. At least someone was on his side.

~

Breakfast the next morning was chaotic. The first breakfast, the pajama breakfast, was always the loudest, but there was something about this one that felt like it was more hectic than the norm. When Woody made his way through the line and got himself a hot plate of eggs and toast, he looked around for his cabin members, who had gotten lost in the crowd. Some of them sat scattered around, even though they were all supposed to sit together (not that it ever consistently happened). The bulk of them were sitting at the far end of the cafeteria, near the stage, where Buzz was leaning. He was dressed in another black T-shirt, maybe even the same one, and deep purple and black checkered pajama pants, sandals on his feet to complete the look. He had his breakfast in his hand, having put his eggs in between his toast to make a sandwich. It only had one or two bites out of it though, because the crowd of campers around him were firing off questions at him, and Buzz was doing his best to answer. Even some of the other counselors were in the crowd around him, including Jessie and Bo, standing off to the side but focusing their full attention on Buzz.

It made Woody angrier than it should have. Why was everyone so obsessed with this asshole? And how did he have so many cool stories to tell? How interesting could the life of an intern possibly be?

He ate his breakfast in silence at the complete opposite, and most empty, side of the cafeteria from Buzz. When he was done he went for a short walk to clear his head, sending out a text to the counselor group chat reminding them that in about an hour, 10:30AM, was the first activity -- an arts and crafts event. It was nothing too fancy but it was just to get the ball rolling and for the campers to express themselves. The later days would see activities more akin to a cowboy centered camp -- like horseback riding, farming, tending to animals, cooking over more bonfires, among other things. Woody was excited to take the horses out on the trails specifically, and the overnight camping at the outdoor campsite was always one of his favorite activities at camp each year. Hopefully everything would run smoothly now that he was in charge, having had Pete lead the way the previous years.

Woody made his way back to the breakfast hall as the campers were starting to throw away their empty plates and look for their counselors. Woody waved to his campers as they looked around for him, and after a headcount confirming he had all of them with him, they made their way back to the cabin. They had a little bit of time to relax and write letters to their parents or friends, if they so chose. Woody took this time to read, sitting on the porch of the cabin with the door open behind him to keep an eye on the campers as well as to air out the cabin and let a breeze through. The other cabins around the circle also had their doors and windows open, and the weather was pleasant. It was a peaceful day all in all. That is until a roar of voices began to rise from one of the further cabins from Woody’s. The boys in cabin three were gaining volume by the second, running around inside as well as out and around the building. Some of them were wearing their bedsheets as capes, and a few of them had them wrapped around their heads. It was a weird sight, and Woody wondered what idiot let them get out of control like that. He was completely unsurprised when Buzz appeared in the doorway of the cabin, trying to call back in the three or four boys that were running around in circles and rolling in the dirt.

He smirked to himself, not even trying to be subtle as he watched Buzz fail to calm them down. Luckily the ground was dry, or they would all be covered in mud by now. The boys were getting rowdier, wrestling each other to the ground and squirming away from Buzz when he tried to pry them apart. Eventually Woody noticed Jessie running over from one of the girls’ cabins. She helped Buzz pull the boys apart and corral them back into the cabin. When it was over Woody could see Buzz breathe a sigh of relief, and Jessie laughed loud enough for him to hear even at this distance. The two of them talked for a little bit, and after a moment Buzz seemed to ask Jessie a question that she nodded excitedly to before they both pulled out their phones. After they finished exchanging whatever it was, Jessie waved and headed back over to her cabin, where he could see a few girls poking their heads out to watch what had been going on. 

Woody pulled out his own cell phone, his book open faced on the porch next to his leg, forgotten. He opened Jessie’s contact and sent her a message.

_Did he ask you on a date or something?_

She responded a moment later.

_No, he asked if he could friend me on YouFaceChat. He seems nice so I figured it would be cool. Why, r u jealous? ;) If u had a YFC I would give u his username._

Woody grit his teeth. _No, I am not jealous. He’s an idiot._

_He most certainly ain’t._

_Is too._

_Whatever Woody, LOL. He’s cute and charming and u damn well know it ;) ;P_

Woody turned his phone off and picked his book back up, dusting it off and shaking his head to himself.

~

Arts and crafts was a lot less hectic than breakfast. The idea was to make a stick figure of yourself using popsicle sticks, and decorate it and give it an outfit using craft paper, yarn, buttons, glitter, and other various artsy materials. The messiest part of the whole ordeal was the glue and the misuse of it. This was set up outside of the dining hall, where the canopy of pine trees mercifully shaded the scattering of wooden picnic tables that were arranged in no particular pattern on the sandy ground. Woody had been the one to buy all of the materials and sort them into multiple labeled plastic bins that were located on the materials table. Each table of campers got one bottle of glue to share. He hoped this would be how they would keep the messiness to a minimum.

It seemed to be going well so far. Once again all of the campers seemed to swarm around Buzz, who was making his own popsicle stick figure. Instead of making himself, he made a little astronaut as he told more stories, this time of when he was in college and took kickboxing classes. Some of the kids around him weren’t even sitting down, and the table Woody was at was empty except for himself, covered in abandoned half-finished popsicle figures and various crafting materials.

Soon the campers were beginning to finish their popsicle stick figures, and Woody was starting to notice a theme. He was expecting a few normal looking figures and maybe a few dressed up as coyfolk, after all this is Cowboy Camp. However he noticed a significant number of campers thrusting their finished products towards Buzz for him to examine. The figures they were making were supposed to represent them, and most of them did, but instead of giving the figures normal clothes, a large chunk of the campers crowded around Buzz had put their figures in astronaut suits. Well, as close to an astronaut suit as young children with limited materials could produce. And once a few of them did it, everyone started to follow suit. Some kids abandoned their first figures and started making aliens instead, using green craft paper and green markers to color the popsicle sticks to complete the look. Everywhere Woody looked he was seeing these children’s ideas of spacemen and aliens, and he began to get frustrated again. 

Jessie seemed to know something was wrong. Woody could tell by the way she put his hand on his shoulder. It was a sibling thing, he guessed. They were always able to tell when the other one was upset.

He said nothing but shook her hand off his shoulder and put his head on his hand, leaning his elbow against the table and staring at Buzz, who didn’t even notice. Jessie sat down next to Woody with a sigh and kicked her feet out into the dirt, brushing it back and forth with the heel of her boot.

“You know they’ll calm down after a couple days. Boys will be boys, right?”

“Yeah, I s’pose,” Woody replied, downtrodden. “They don’t seem to be interested in anything other than Buzz and his cool stories.”

Jessie clicked her tongue. “I’m telling you Woody, it’s fine. This is Cowboy Camp, they came here to do things you would expect to do on a ranch, except more fun. They’re just excited because, c’mon, what little kid do you know that hasn’t wanted to be an astronaut at some point?” Woody didn’t have a response to that. “Yeah, exactly.”

He sighed. “I hope you’re right. This guy is getting on my nerves.”

“He’s really not that bad, you know,” Jessie replied. 

“Oh yeah, I know he’s woo’d you as well as he had the kids.”

She smirked. “You really are just jealous. It’s obvious Woody. You’ve literally been staring at him this whole time.”

Woody finally took his gaze off Buzz and turned his head to face his sister, furrowing his eyebrows at her but not sure what to say to that.

“I think you should just get to know him. Or at the very least learn how to play nice,” Jessie suggested. She stood up and headed back over to the table where most of her girls were sitting, checking on them and their crafts they were making. Woody watched her for a moment but turned his attention back to Buzz, who was laughing along with the campers and trying to listen to them even though they were all talking over each other to tell him things. When he laughed his eyes closed and wrinkled and his smile showcased his very straight, very white teeth. After one of his laughing bouts he wiped a tear from his eye and made eye contact with Woody, who was still staring at him. Buzz stopped for a moment and his smile faltered slightly before returning full force. He nodded at Woody with a close-lipped grin before diverting his attention once again. Woody looked down at his feet, embarrassed to be caught staring. He grit his teeth, trying to calm his hammering heart.

What the hell was this dude’s deal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> say hi to me on [tumblr](http://lovesicksunset.tumblr.com) if you'd like!


	4. Empty Beer Bottles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the four friends(?) drink some beer and bond.

It was almost midnight, the first day of activities having wrapped up. After arts and crafts, the kids had gotten a tour of the campgrounds via hayride, gone swimming in the pool, and had a kickball tournament. After such a full day, the campers had no trouble falling asleep. Woody, on the other hand, was having a lot of trouble. After listening to the varying volumes of snoring in the cabin around him, he ended up grabbing his guitar from its case and heading out into the cool night air. The stars twinkled invitingly above and the moon cast plenty of light to see by. It didn’t take Woody long to get himself comfortable on the railing of the cabin, his back to one of the posts, the guitar resting in his lap. After a quick tune, he was playing a gentle melody to the night sky, completely in his own world.

“I didn’t know you played,” came a quiet voice from behind him.

Woody jumped, his guitar emitting a sour note in protest. “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as he whacked the instrument against the wood of the railing and causing it to make a hollow doonnng noise.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Buzz said, and when Woody turned to face him he had that same lopsided smile he was already tired of seeing. The built male was holding two bottles of a substance Wody recognized very well.

“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” Woody asked, getting off of the railing and back onto the porch, setting his guitar gingerly against the side of the cabin. He leaned over the railing at Buzz, who was even shorter due to Woody’s slightly raised position.

“Offering you a beer. I figured we would get along better if we just chatted for a bit.”

“This is a children’s summer camp,” Woody replied. “Why did you bring alcohol?”

“I didn't, I drove to the nearest convenience store and bought a couple six packs.”

Woody didn't say anything. Cowboy Camp wasn’t necessarily secluded, but it was at least a fifteen or twenty minute drive to the nearest place that sold beer. This guy must have been really hurting for it if he drove that much. “What makes you think I even drink?”

That made Buzz lower his hand that had been offering one of the bottles up to Woody. “Oh. I guess I didn’t think of that. I just thought it would be a good idea to hopefully become friends.”

Woody pursed his lips. “So you took almost an hour out of your night, leaving your campers alone, to go buy alcohol, just to be friends with me?”

Buzz’s face colored slightly. “I didn’t leave them alone. I let the counselor in the cabin next to me know what was going on. He and I get along pretty well so he didn't mind keeping an ear out towards my cabin for trouble.”

“You do realize you’re breaking multiple rules, and then telling me about it right?” Woody was starting to get mad. What made this guy think that he could just come up into this camp and do all this bullshit? He acted like he owned the place. But… he was trying to be nice. For some reason. He really wanted to be friends with Woody. 

Buzz shrugged. “Look, I was just thinking about hanging out for one night. I was going to invite your sister and Bo as well, I thought it would be fun. You seem really stressed out, I’m sure being basically in charge is a big responsibility.”

“I’m not basically in charge, I am in charge.”

Buzz smiled again. “Right. That must be stressful.”

Woody said nothing. He walked down the three wooden stairs to the soft grass, still barefoot, and took one of the bottles from Buzz, whose smile grew when he did so. Buzz held up his bottle and Woody clinked his against it before they both took a drink.

“So, where are Jessie and Bo?” Woody asked slowly.

“Still in their cabins. I was thinking we could go sit in my car and drink the rest of these there.”

“And leave the campers?”

“Dude, they were running around like crazy today and it's almost one in the morning. I don’t think they’ll be waking up anytime soon. Lighten up a little.”

Woody frowned at his beer bottle but said nothing. Buzz started off in the direction of the only two girls’ cabins and Woody followed in step behind him. He was finally able to scrutinize what the man in front of him was wearing. He had on a pair of basketball shorts and a black tank top that showed off his toned biceps, and Woody found himself staring at the muscles in his backs and shoulders as he swung his arms back and forth to walk in front of Woody. Woody gulped and averted his eyes elsewhere. He could see Jessie peeking out of the older girls’ cabin, and she walked out to meet them, wearing fleece pajama pants and a tank top. She gave them a thumbs up, then the symbol to be quiet, then pointed towards the cabin Bo was at. The group walked over and knocked on the door quietly. Bo joined them outside, looking excited and dressed warmer than any of them in pants and a long sleeve shirt.

The four set off towards the far grass lot that acted as the parking lot for all of the counselors. Woody’s K10 was sitting not too far from Buzz’s car, looking peaceful and dormant and the exact opposite of how Woody was right now. When they got to the mustang, Buzz grabbed the six packs out of the passenger seat and passed two bottles to Bo and Jessie before grabbing a third for himself. Woody hadn’t even realized that Buzz was already done with his first bottle, and instinctively downed his to catch up.

The mustang was small and the thought of sitting in it made Woody sick. He didn’t like the idea of sitting in a car that smelled like Buzz and alcohol. He suggested that they all sit in the bed of his truck, which was only about twenty feet away, and everyone seemed down with the idea. After all, the weather was wonderful.

Woody carefully laid down the tailgate so they would all have room to sit. Buzz put the beer in the bed as well, and when they all climbed in they sat shoulder to shoulder, Woody squished between the edge of the truck and Buzz. Their shoulders brushed together and Woody felt funny, though he couldn’t tell if it was the proximity or the alcohol.

Jessie and Bo took turns telling stories. Buzz and Woody listened, laughing every so often. Woody figured that Buzz was tired of being the one to tell the stories, and besides, he didn’t mind getting to just sit here next to his friends and enjoy the night. He thought that maybe the alcohol was starting to take effect. His limbs felt looser and he was getting more sluggish with his movements, brushing Buzz’s leg here and pressing their sides together on accident as he reached for another beer. Bo stopped after one, saying that she was never much of a drinker, though she appreciated the invite and was thoroughly enjoying herself. Jessie stopped after her second, probably trying to follow Bo’s good example. Buzz continued, and so did Woody, not wanting to be the last one drinking.

After a particularly giggle-worthy story, Buzz put his hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “You know, you’re really funny,” he said, his speech slow.

Jessie chucked, tucking a lock of stray red hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Buzz, I appreciate it,” she said, and Woody noticed her right hand on Bo’s leg. He wasn’t sure what that was all about, but it’s not like it was any of his business. 

He zoned out for a minute, just looking at a spot on the ground. The crickets chirped around them, lazy and without a care in the world. It was summer nights like these that really made Woody appreciate living in the countryside.

“Woody, didja hear me at all?” 

“Huh?” Woody replied, sounding very intelligent.

Jessie snickered. “I said are you good?”

“Oh,” Woody mumbled. “Yeah, sorry, just… enjoying myself, I guess.” 

He couldn’t help but notice Buzz smile a little at those words, but before he could make eye contact with him the shorter man turned away to face Jessie and Bo again.

It wasn’t long before the girls were ready to retire. Buzz offered to walk them back to their cabins, but they waved him off. Woody watched them as they set off towards the cabins. He wasn’t sure, because the two of them were pretty far away, but they looked like they might have been holding hands. Eh, probably not.

He hadn’t even noticed how quiet the two of them were until Buzz cleared his throat. “So, uh… There’s one beer left. You want it?”

“Not unless you don’t,” Woody mumbled, lifting up a leg to rest his chin on.

Buzz blinked at him. They were still sitting very close, even though there was now plenty of room to Buzz’s right since the girls had left. “We can share it,” he offered.

Woody nodded, and took it from Buzz after the shorter had taken a drink. Woody took his own gulp as Buzz cleared his throat to speak again.

“I think this was a pretty good idea,” he said.

“What?” Woody asked, handing the bottle back.

“The whole social drinking thing. You look so much less angry.”

“I’m not angry,”

“Okay, well you look like you’re more… relaxed. I dunno. Like you don’t hate me anymore.”

Woody sighed, accepting the bottle back after Buzz had taken a drink, trying not to think about all the saliva they were indirectly sharing. “I never hated you,” he said to the bottle.

Buzz made a noise that sounded like disbelief. “Ah,”

“I didn’t,” Woody insisted, handing it back. “Just thought you’re kinda full of yourself. Which you are.”

Buzz laughed, and he was so close Woody could feel the shaking of his shoulder against him. “Maybe a little. I am sorry the kids won’t leave me alone, though. I know it bothers you.”

Woody let his leg fall down, shifting his body so he was facing Buzz more. Their knees were touching now. “What are you talking about?”

“I can see how upset it makes you. I totally get it.”

Woody scrunched his face up. “That’s it, right there. You’re so stuck up, you always have to be the big person and apologize for being too cool. Just shut the fuck up already,” Woody said, his voice completely void of conviction.

“You don’t really mean that,” Buzz said. “I get it dude, I do. You’re jealous. You’re in charge of this cool camp but these kids just want to bug me about space.”

Woody said nothing, looking down at the ground again.

“Hey,” Buzz said, putting his free hand on Woody’s shoulder. Woody raised his arm to push it off, looking up at him.

“What?” he countered.

Buzz blinked and lowered his hand. “Nothing. Sorry. I just wanted to apologize, that’s all. I want us to be friends.”

Woody glowered at him. “Why are you sitting so close to me?”

Buzz seemed to not even realize it until Woody said something. He backed up, giving ample space between them. Woody’s knee felt cold where it wasn’t pressed against Buzz’s leg anymore. Buzz said nothing, but handed Woody the bottle, offering him the last bit. Woody accepted it and drank it before adding it to the discard pile that was sitting behind the back right tire of the truck on the ground. 

“You really shouldn’t bring alcohol into this camp again. Pete would get mad,” Woody said.

Buzz chuckled. “You’re welcome, glad you had a good time.” He slid out of the bed of the truck, offering his hand to Woody to help him down. Woody had to stop himself from rolling his eyes and let himself down, in his haste stepping on one of the discard bottles and rolling backward, flailing his arms out. Buzz caught one of them and pulled him back up, though with too much force, and Woody crashed into Buzz, who lost balance and fell backwards into the grass.

Woody felt kind of bad. He didn’t mean to knock the guy over. However a moment later Buzz was laughing so hard he couldn’t even stand up. It took him a minute to get to his feet, and he was still laughing. “Oh man, that was so funny,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

“Was it though?” Woody asked, feeling awkward and trying to pretend like he wasn’t swaying as he put the tailgate back into the up position.

“You need to lighten up, dude,” Buzz said with a chuckle, and when Woody turned around he was way too close. He smiled that lopsided smile up at Woody and gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder. “‘Night,” was all he said before he started heading off towards the cabins, leaving Woody dumbfounded, leaning against the back of his truck.


End file.
